"Rugged individualism" is recognized today as some sort of mental illness in 21st century America.

Look. I am not a "togetherness" type personality. I was reared by parents who insisted that I learn to fend for myself at an early age. I was given my emancipation from my parents (by my parents) at what is thought of today as the "tender age" of sixteen. I'll never forget that day.

We had a family conference on the back porch of our little country house. Corn and sugar cane grew right up to the edge of the lawn. In the distance one could hear the grunting of the hogs and in the near distance the clucking of the chickens happily pecking small grains of sand from the loose soil to aid in the efficiency of their gizzards. It was the sound of breakfast being produced!

It was, for this ole country boy, the ideal setting to be told that today you are free ... free to carry responsibility for yourself... for myself. I would make my own decisions with input from my parents only upon request. It meant, also, that I would bear the consequences of decisions made with little or no experience on the matter being decided upon.

Frightening? Damned right, it was! Did I make mistakes? You'd better believe I did, lots of them, and every single one a learning experience. I carry many scars from those early mistakes -- my gray hair not the least of those reminders. Many of those scars are still red, ugly, and extremely tender -- even today.

But -- I LEARNED!

Ultimately, I learned that in the end, everyone is accountable to themselves and responsible to (and for) themselves for the host of so-called "screw-ups" we all make.

As a teenager, I learned to choose my friends and associates wisely. I didn't have a posse and I didn't become a part of anyone else's posse, either.

My best friend from those teen years -- is still my best friend to this day. We were then, and remain today, independent thinkers. We often disagree with each other. And that's fine. Our friendship transcends disagreement. Besides, it seems to me, friends OUGHT to allow independent thinking amongst them.

I learned that one should not allow oneself to be overly influenced by what others say and do. It's OK to look and listen and evaluate. But in the end, one has the responsibility to form his or her own opinion and be ready, willing, and able to defend that position when, and if, it becomes necessary.

As you can see, nothing I learned is earthshaking or even worthy of note -- except -- that I learned them at an unusually early age. Well, not so unusual for my generation, but simply unheard of in today's society.

That early emancipation created an "individualist." We are better known today as "weirdos" or worse.

There was a time in America when individualists were prized. No longer.

Today in a communist leaning America, an individualist is an impediment to the so-called "greater good." See, we have a way of saying things like: "Wait a minute!" "Whoa!" "Not so cussed fast!" And the MOST dreaded -- "Let's think about this for a moment."

With our Neo-Leninist/Communist President herding America from one manufactured crisis to another in order to keep the populace off balance, off kilter, and vulnerable to frightening scenarios designed to elicit support for his communist agenda for America, the LAST thing Obama needs is for some NUT JOB, like yours truly, to insist that we "wait a minute," "think about this for a moment," or some such objection. The very last thing Obama and his henchman need is for Americans to take time to actually THINK about what is going on in America today.

America was founded on and by individualism.Though in modern America you won't find much individualism expressed, at all.

"America was built on the social-political ideals of Individualism; the philosophy of self-reliance, in the face of peril, and in the name of freedom. Our communities were forged by rugged personalities, adventurers and entrepreneurs, determined to secure their freedoms in a new land, far from the archaic ideas of statism that were popular throughout Europe. Indeed the Virginia Company of London, which founded Jamestown in 1607, the first permanent new-world English settlement, was an entirely entrepreneurial venture."SOURCE: Nation of Change

That which is now described as the "soft despotism" of the American political left has driven America into a sort of collectivism. Wholly un-American, it is the new or "NEO-Leninist/communism" we referenced earlier. And it is smothering America and driving her into third world country status at an alarming speed.

In an article at The American Thinker, Daren Jonescu states the following: "The fundamental battle to be waged concerns nothing less than the nature of man, and the moral implications of that nature. If public disapproval of particular Obama policies is to become a lasting movement toward societal renewal, then the conservative's primary objective must be the restoration of American individualism."SOURCE: American Thinker

Mr. Jonescu continues: "Those who wish to subvert the American republic, and to undermine its founding documents, have always understood that the primary obstacle is ethical individualism."SOURCE: American Thinker

Look. All the talk about reclaiming America, about restoring America, is all for naught -- IF we do not restore individualism FIRST. To be honest with you -- I don't know how we can do that. It takes generations to produce self reliant individualists. Besides, I don't think America likes individualist anymore.

From individualist to globalist Americans have forsaken that which made them -- and then made them great.

Our ship of state now sails toward the rocky shoals with the white flag of surrender snapping from her mainmast. The remains of her sun whitened carcass will lie scattered on the rocks as a warning to other nations not to stir the course America chose. But, alas, if history is any predictor of the future, that warning will go unheeded.

J. D. Longstreet is a conservative “Carolina Boy.” A Southern American (A native sandlapper (South Carolinian) and an adopted Tar Heel -- A North Carolinian) with a deep passion for the history, heritage, and culture of the southern states of America. At the same time he is a deeply loyal American believing strongly in “America First.” J. D. Longstreet is a very proud direct descendent of several Confederate soldiers. He is a thirty-year veteran of the broadcasting business, as an “in the field” and “on-air” news reporter (contributing to radio, TV, and newspapers) and a conservative broadcast commentator. Longstreet is a veteran of the US Army and US Army Reserve. He is a member of the American Legion and the Sons of Confederate Veterans. A lifelong Christian, Longstreet subscribes to “old Lutheranism” to express and exercise his faith.